Dorian Finney-Smith Admits Minute Restriction With Lakers Is ‘Tough’ But Ankle Is ‘Getting Better’

Dorian Finney-Smith had his best overall game as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. The forward finished with 16 points, knocking down four 3-pointers in the Lakers’ victory over the Washington Wizards while still providing his normal solid defense.

Finney-Smith did so in just 22 minutes as he has been on a minute restriction while dealing with an ongoing ankle injury. And even though he isn’t the biggest fan of limited minutes, he is still having fun playing with his Lakers teammates.

“A lot going on, it’s been a crazy two weeks. But I get to play the game I love,” Finney-Smith said after the win. “The minute restriction has been tough sometimes when you’re trying to find your groove with the team. Today I probably played for the longest stretch in the first half and I felt like my lungs were gonna collapse. But it’s been fun, it’s been fun playing with these guys and just trying to collect some wins and keep it going.”

It is great to hear Finney-Smith enjoying his time with the Lakers and playing with his teammates, but he is also a competitor who wants to be on the court as much as possible. In fact he would thank the Lakers staff for preventing himself from making his injury worse as he felt he did earlier this season.

“Just fighting through injuries. Me being me and not wanting to sit,” Finney-Smith responded when asked about the injury that caused this minute restriction. “Probably made it worse earlier in the year. I got a shot before a game and I played the next game so sometimes I hurt myself. Shoutout to the staff and the trainers in there, they’re helping me save myself from making it worse. I’ve been begging to play more minutes but it is what it is.”

Most important now is that the injury is improving and Finney-Smith is getting closer to be 100%. “It’s good. It’s been getting better,” he noted. “That’s all I got. I can play defense.”

Playing defense and knocking down 3-pointers is why the Lakers acquired Finney-Smith so if he is doing that at a high level, the Lakers will be better for it and everyone in the organization will be happy.

LeBron James, Anthony Davis pushing for Lakers to make trades

Acquiring Dorian Finney-Smith was an important move for the Lakers, but there are still a couple of weeks until the trade deadline and LeBron James and Anthony Davis are reportedly hoping for another big move to bring this team closer to contender status.

A recent report stated that LeBron and Davis are concerned about the Lakers’ ability to make a move before the deadline and that the duo feel this team are only a piece or two away from championship contention. The report added that the Lakers are willing to part with their valuable first-round picks, but only for players who will help this team for years to come, not just a short-term move.

Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!